Darin Miyashiro

Lecturer, Japanese Koto Ensembles

Born and raised in Hawai‘i, Darin graduated from Waiakea High School and attended the University of Redlands earning BA degrees in Music and Asian Studies. During his junior year abroad at Waseda University he was introduced to koto master Kazue Sawai and began studying classic and contemporary koto music under her and other master instructors at the Sawai Koto Institute in Tokyo.

After earning his instructor certificate, Darin returned to Hawai‘i and began serving as instructor for the Sawai Koto Kai Hawai‘i. He also serves as instructor for the So-shin Kai in Hilo. He has studied gagaku with the Hawai‘i Gagaku Society led by Rev. Masatoshi Shamoto and currently studies Ryukyu soukyoku with Okinawan koto master Hideaki Miyazato. In 2015 he established the Hawai‘i Koto Academy and continues to study under Kazue Sawai, Hikaru Sawai, and other master instructors at the Sawai Koto Institute in Tokyo.